The unpolluted, turquoise ocean surrounding the Marshall Islands will be what Li Shr-jie (黎世傑), who joined the alternative diplomatic-service program two years ago, misses most when he is due to leave the Pacific island nation in the middle of March.
Li, a graduate from National Taiwan University's Department of Horticulture, chose to enroll the program, a substitute for compulsory military service, because he wanted to go to Latin American countries.
When Li was informed he would be dispatched to the Marshall Islands, one of Taiwan's five allies in the Pacific, his parents were worried he could not cope with life in such a remote country.
PHOTO: MELODY CHEN, TAIPEI TIMES
"When I first came here, I had fever several times. I felt particularly lonely and bored at night," said the 26-year-old serviceman.
The alternative diplomatic-service program had proved daunting to some who signed up for it.
"When the countries we were to be sent were announced, six of the 41 boys volunteering to join it withdrew," Li said.
The government's International Cooperation and Development Fund, which coordinates the program, usually deploys servicemen to Taiwan's 27 diplomatic allies to assist local workers.
Since Li arrived on the Marshall Islands in November 2002, he has been working with Taiwan's Technical Mission in the country.
Li's daily routine includes supervising workers in the field in the mission's compound, where a five-person agricultural team, including Li, grows various kinds of fruits and vegetables and raises pigs.
Li also helps with the mission's paperwork. In his leisure time, he often goes fishing, plays basketball and visits downtown Majuro, the Marshall Islands' capital.
"I also keep two dogs," he said.
Having picked up some simple words in the local tongue, Li said he would miss his friends in the Marshall Islands when his term finishes in March.
"They love to make friends," Li said of local residents.
The technical mission arrived in August 1999 after Taiwan established diplomatic ties with the Marshall Islands in November 1998.
The Marshall Islands government allotted about three hectares of land for the technical mission.
The mission has developed roughly one hectare to grow crops and build pigsties, according to the leader of the mission, Cheng Ming-ching (鄭明欽).
An agricultural expert from Hualien, Cheng had never joined a foreign mission before going to the Marshall Islands.
"Though the soil and climate in this country are different from that of Taiwan, I don't find it difficult to get used to life here," said Cheng, whose family has moved with him to the Marshall Islands.
People in the Marshall Islands had virtually no agricultural development before the arrival of Taiwan's technical mission.
"This country has very few natural resources and government budgets for agriculture are limited," Cheng said.
Through the mission's help, 50 households in the country have turned to farming and found the results satisfying, according to Cheng.
"Local farmers find their lives improved. They get the money to furnish their houses and are able to purchase refrigerators and television sets," Cheng said.
The mission developed agriculture on the Marshall Islands from nothing, Cheng said.
The situation of starting from scratch is now faced by Michael Lu (呂瑞源), leader of Taiwan's Technical Mission to Kiribati, Taiwan's newest ally.
Lu, who followed Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien's (簡又新) delegation to Kiribati earlier this month, will be starting agricultural work in a compound that used be home to a satellite station of China's.
Many cooperation programs between Kiribati and Taiwan have begun, Samuel Chen (陳世良), Taiwan's ambassador to Kiribati, said during Chien's visit there.
A local media agency, the Broadcasting and Publications Authority, which ran a story on the opening of Taiwan's embassy in Kiribati, is seeking assistance to improve its printing technology.
The agency consists of a publication manager, an editor, an assistant editor, two reporters, two printers and one typist.
The main function of the agency is to "produce a weekly bilingual newspaper aiming at informing local readers about a variety of events and issues that occur within the community, the government, the Pacific region and the world," said Tibewere Bobo, the publication manager.
The agency produces a weekly called Te Uekera meaning "The Tree of Knowledge."
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
Reports of Taiwanese going missing, being detained or interrogated, or having their personal liberties restricted in China increased about fourfold annually last year, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Last year, 221 Taiwanese who traveled to China were reported missing, were detained and interrogated, or otherwise had their personal freedom restricted, up from 55 the previous year, the council said. Reopening group tours to China would be risky, as it would leave travelers with no way to seek help through official channels after Beijing shut down dialogue between the associations tasked with handling cross-strait tourism, the MAC said. Taipei’s Taiwan Strait Tourism
RSS